Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Sometimes it's easy...

















...to get the idea that you are conjuring the universe to your benefit. Case in point: I’ve been fretting for months about getting rid of some expensive lawn equipment, including a riding mower. It’s fairly new, in pretty good shape, and it’s just been sitting under the carport for a year, decaying from lack of use. Before I left to go to Chicago last weekend, I swore to myself (and at myself) that I would do something about it as soon as I got back. Monday morning I woke up with a little pang of dread--How am I going to unload that effing lawn mower?

Of course, I got busy with the day and put it all out of my mind for the umpteenth time. Around 10 am the dogs commenced the special whooping commotion that they save for human intruders. I heard the rumble of a truck out front and went to the door. A weathered man about 60 climbed out of the cab. He was looking for a guy who lived down this way who had a riding lawn mower for sale. He mentioned a name I’d never heard. I told him I didn’t know the house he was looking for, but I happened to have a lawn mower to sell. I said it mostly just to make conversation, but he bit immediately. “Where is it?”

We looked, we dickered, and even though it wouldn’t start he wound up handing me a little pile of cash and driving away with the thing, along with some other unwanteds. I let him have it all for less than I’d hoped to get, but the whole thing was so fluky, I was reluctant to bargain too hard for fear of insulting the household gods who were clearly trying to smile on me.

I wouldn’t think too much of this incident, except it’s just one in a string of synchronicities that have occurred in my life over the past week, all of them helpful, or at least amusing. I ought to be enjoying my lucky streak but it’s a little unsettling to feel that the universe is paying attention.

Chance crowning a sleeping man, Paolo Veronese, 1560-61

7 comments:

whoodoo said...

You're indeed being smiled upon -- you have this transit happening:
Venus Trine Jupiter exact at 23:58
activity period from 27 April 2010 to 28 April 2010
Venus and Jupiter being the lesser and greater benefics, respectively.

Enjoy!!

BitterGrace said...

Okay, that explains it--now I can stop worrying that I'm the victim of a cosmic set-up, right?

whodoo said...

Well, now you have me scratching my head ... isn't that what life is, a cosmic set-up?

But this little bit of luck -- it's just a lagniappe. Nothing to fear!

dissed said...

Perfect.

Send him my way -- I need to find someone to cut the grass about every three weeks. Or maybe I should just tell myself that I'll do that, this weekend.

BitterGrace said...

Oh, yeah, whodoo--good point. Anyway, I'll make the most of it.

dissed, I hope your lawn mower man comes--a good one, not the Stephen King kind. (I thought about that story all day after my guy left.)

Julie H. Rose said...

The problem with thinking the universe is shining upon you is that when it's not you think it's not. Or something like that.

Enjoy it while it lasts!

queen_cupcake said...

Smiles and frowns are always flashing around us, it seems. It's nice though, when we catch the smile and know what to do with it. A few days ago, the electricity in my house did a massive spike and blew out four surge protectors and shut down the power in my house for a few minutes. We thought it was something systemic in the house (we've been there 20+ years without any problem) but 45 minutes later, our neighbor had an electrical problem and called us to ask if we were experiencing anything similar. His best friend, an electrician, happened to be visiting him and offered to come over to check things out. The man came over, spent 30 minutes checking the electrical system and explaining what probably happened and what else to do to protect ourselves, all without expecting the $25 my husband handed him.